In homeschooling vernacular, expensive is a relative term. While the average cost is about $500 a year per child, this goes down a bit in families with more children, since resources can be shared, membership costs are not multiplied, etc. If your children have been in private school for $4,000–10,000 a year per child, you’re probably planning a vacation with your homeschooling savings and are only reading this article to kill some time! But if they’ve been in a conventional school setting or are just beginning school, it’s prudent of you to count the cost, to be prepared. You’ll want to invest in your core curriculum materials first, then add other items as your budget allows

It is possible to homeschool with just a Bible and a library card, but most of us will add a bit. I was able to homeschool seven children at a time for less than $100 in a year, once I had accumulated a few non-consumable resources. Here are a few ideas to homeschool on a shoestring budget:

Save on textbooks and other curricular materials

Borrow or rent books—check with your local support group.

Purchase used books.

Public school give-aways. (Use with extreme caution because of worldview content and the need for teacher texts that you usually won’t get—but I’ve seen atlases, encylopedias, typing practice books, maps, and more.)

Library sales.

Educational “wish lists” to family members for gift-giving times

Use your state’s standards of learning listing and check out appropriate library books.

Use multi-level curriculum

Use grade-specific materials for each child for skills subjects such as math and language arts, then use multi-level materials for content-area subjects such as science, social studies, character/Bible, art, health, etc, working with all of your children together, to economize on time and money! Here are a few suggestions:

Don’t make it complicated

K-3rd—Ruth Beechick’s The Three R’s of Learning ($12 for math, reading, and language) + Five in a Row ($25 for literature-based unit studies) + Bible + library card = $37 and all items are non-consumable (re-sellable)

These totals would be even lower if the materials were purchased used; books could be re-sold to recoup some of the funds at the end of the year.

Save on school supplies and furniture

Stock up on inexpensive spiral notebooks in August—they won’t be that inexpensive again all year, and they are good for school work, phone messages, and more. The wide-ruled ones give more space for lettering and numbers for younger students, while the college-ruled variety are more popular for middle schoolers.

Paper—again, lowest pricing of the year

Home computer—doesn’t need to have bells and whistles; check classified ads in print and online. Some stores offer educator discounts on hardware as well as software.

Art-quality colored pencils—Not the cheap, waxy ones. These are worth a little more, since they are easily sharpened, store well, offer good paper coverage and true colors (and don’t melt in the car!).

Budget-minded lesson planning

Inexpensive spiral notebook

Print planning pages from the Internet (if in the public domain)

Computer

White board

Journal

A planbook with spaces large enough for several children

Frugal field trips

Field trips can help excite a child about an upcoming topic, or give closure to a topic already covered. Many facilities offer group rates; invite another family to join you to meet the minimum and provide “socialization” at the same time! Other venues offer student discounts or family discounts (one family of 12 got a group discount and the cashier gave the husband the bus driver freebie!). Theme parks, state fairs, historic sites, and other public attractions often promote discount days for homeschoolers. Find field trips in your area.

Join your state and local groups

Consider joining your state organization and local support group, where you will often find timely information on discounts, contests, workshops, book and clothing swaps, sports programs, field trips, and more—what a bargain for a small fee each year. The membership itself will often qualify you for an educator’s discount, and membership in some state organizations yields a nice discount on your HSLDA membership!